A flurry of cash bolstered George Santos’ bid for Congress in its final weeks and afterward.
The Republican Jewish Coalition Political Action Committee, for example, gave him $5,000 to help retire debt.
Since Santos’ admission that he lied about being Jewish, the group said the congressman-elect “will not be welcome” at any of its future events.
What You Need To Know
- While some donors condemn the Republican who admitted to falsifying his resume, others are taking a wait-and-see approach
- Rep. Ritchie Torres has introduced the SANTOS Act to require candidates disclose their information under oath
- Santos is facing reviews at the county, state and federal levels, likely including into his sudden wealth and campaign finances
Meanwhile, a PAC supporting Florida Rep. Scott Franklin transferred $28,000 to Santos’ coffers but has stayed mum.
And Rep. Andrew Garbarino is the only member of the Long Island House delegation who hasn’t publicly commented on Santos, his spokeswoman saying he can’t do so because he’s a member of an ethics subcommittee. Garbarino’s campaign is among several that transferred funds to Santos.
Santos donor and radio host John Catsimatidis told NY1 on Friday that he’s waiting to see how events play out.
“He should be seated and should be allowed to vote,” Catsimatidis said, “and if the U.S. attorney does his job and finds out something bad, then let him do his job. If the ethics committee finds something bad, let them do their job.”
Santos’ personal and campaign finances are under scrutiny — and potential federal review — as he prepares to be sworn into office on Tuesday.
How he spent and raised his money and whether he misled donors are all under the spotlight.
Prolific fundraiser Catsimatidis, who also donated to Santos’ Democratic rival Robert Zimmerman but is himself a former Republican candidate for office, wants Santos to have a chance.
“If we removed every congressman that has lied and every senator that has lied about something, we wouldn’t have a Senate, we wouldn’t have a Congress,” Catsimatidis said.
But everything from where Santos went to school and worked to whether his family escaped the Holocaust to where he lives now are apparent lies.
He’ll get a cold reception from many on Capitol Hill.
“I would refuse to shake his hand,” Rep. Ritchie Torres told NY1 on Friday. “Of every member of Congress, he is by far the single greatest corruption risk.”
Torres, a Democrat, has introduced legislation to require federal candidates to disclose certain background information under oath.
“The SANTOS Act stands for ‘stop another non-truthful office seeker,’” Torres said.
The bipartisan call for investigations into Santos has not yet included House Republican leaders.
Santos has denied wrongdoing. But local, state and federal officials are looking into his story.
Torres said, “The Department of Justice, the U.S. attorney, the attorney general, should investigate him for possible fraud.”